Schwalbe
Thunder Burt
Tire

Product Description

The tire development goal was to combine the best of Racing Ralph and Furious Fred. At less than 400 g, the weight is almost exactly in the middle. With its many small lugs Thunder Burt is close on the heels of Racing Ralph regarding grip and in terms of rolling resistance he is even better than Furious Fred.

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Millhaus
a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: December 1, 2014

Strengths: Fast and grippy

Weaknesses: may wear fast and could be sensitive to sharp rocks

Bottom Line:

These tires came on my Fuji SLM and being a Nobby Nic loyalist I was skeptical about the ability to grip the slippery clay laced dirt, leaves rocks and roots of Eastern PA. wow was I wrong! these tires are really confidence inspiring! they roll fast, are smooth and consistent from center in a lean and when they do lose grip it is in a very consistent fashion. Grip in loose dirt during climbs are amazing. I was just out on a frozen trail covered with crunchy snow and frozen slush and these tires hooked up great. I was expecting to have to stop riding these this winter but now I an going to keep going. These are tires you have to ride to appreciate how they perform. I was a skeptic but now I am a believer! I am 165lbs and I am riding tubeless 23lbs up front and 26lbs in the rear and as always tubeless is the way to go!

Weaknesses: Tubeless set up more difficult than expected (Than a Nobby Nic)

Bottom Line:

In short, this is a more durable version of the furious fred. I used to run furious freds but when the tire became compromised I went to Nobby Nic, but the NN was a bit too wide for my bike so I went to the Thunder burt.

They roll fast and have better grip than the furious freds. They do slide more in turns than the Nobby Nic, but the slide is more like a drift--it is predictable and steady--no sudden grip or release.

I have them mounted on I-9 Torch Enduro Wheelset, 29er. The Nobby Nics set up very quickly and solidly, and did not leak at all. The Thunder Burt was a challenge to get inflated. I did have to pull the valve core to get more air flow to seat the tire. I would say this is due to the tire being narrower than the Nobby Nic. Even with the valve core pulled, and soapy water, it still took some finess to seat the tire.

The side walls have lots of tiny holes for the Stans sealant to work on--much more than I expect from a quality tire. The Nobby Nic had almost no sidewall seapage.

I did not notice any difference in climbing ability between the Nobby Nic and the Thunder burt--I did not have any traction issues and cleared the same obstacles without any perceived difference--in short, they worked well.

In the fast downhills, there was more drift than the Nobby Nic, but less than the Furious Fred.

The scale says the bike lost 1 pound changing over form the Nobby Nic (2.35 front, 2.25 rear) to the Thunder burt.

The trails I ride are not rocky and I never had issues with the Furious freds getting ripped up, so I do not feel I can speak to their durability for those who ride in rocky terrain.

An excellent replacement for the furious fred. Still fast, still light, and a bit tougher.

Tubeless set up was more challenging than it should be for a tubeless ready tire.

Strengths: This tire rocks in dry conditions but can also be driven in medium wet conditions on sandy grounds. Communication about losing grip is pretty good, a RR doesn't let you know (only the noise is an indicator). The tire is fast on straight lines but also in XC corners. The pretty thick nobs really work here.

Weaknesses: non so far, bit expensive.

Bottom Line:

In my opinion you'll need this tire in dry conditions. Other tires like RR/FR but also other brands will not be fast enough. It feels a little like the conti twister (only driven 26")

Like to have some actual experience with either tire. They're not exactly in the same class, i.e. 2.1 vs 2.25 and almost 200 g difference, but the rolling resistance may not be that different. :???:Read More »

Hi guys. I got a 2012 Cannondale Flash Carbon 1. I decided to change the Geax Saguaro tires it had on for the new Schwalbe Thunder Burt TRL Raceguard tires. The Rims are Stans Arch 29ers and im using Slime pro, which did a great job with the Geax Saguaros (Which weren`t even tubeless ready). The thi ... Read More »

I need new rear tire for racing and general dray weather xc.
Anyone try bout?
Bout are very light, fast, and fragile :), but how do they compare to each other?
I have rocket ron in the front.
ThanksRead More »